Quest for Space Enchantment Day 6
Description Welcome to The VFK Space Enchantment Epic Quest Day 6! One of the focuses of modern space research involves locating the basic supplies for sustaining human life on other planets and moons so the possibilities of colonization can be explored. Where ever humans go, they will need such necessities of life as a supply of water, oxygen and some way to produce food. Colonization also hinges on a location being suitable in terms of the environment of the planet or moon. For the sixth day of our epic quest for Space Enchantment, we will look at the possible locations for space colonies and why they have been considered. Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Space Enchantment Epic Quest Day 6 Pin! Prizes Questions 1. When it comes to colonization, there has been continual research since the 1950s on what it takes to survive in space. There are three main approaches to colonizing space. The first has man establishing a base on the moon for use as a point of operations for further exploration into space. The second skips the moon and goes straight to Mars. The third is the argument that orbiting space stations make more sense and are more practical in the long run. In all cases the plan is to use regenerative life support systems to create a sustainable environment in space. These systems are also referred to as "Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS). What is another word that refers to such a system? * Chemisphere * Support Pod * Biosphere * Recycling System 2. One of the fundamental requirements for building in space is the availability of building materials. The cost of bringing construction materials from the planet is prohibitive, so it makes more sense to find what is required to build any habitats in space from materials already out in space. It has been shown that we can use building materials obtained from mining asteroids as well as the surface of the Moon. Go to Stonehenge and say "These stones make great building blocks." 3. Mining asteroids and processing the ore in space has been determined to be an efficient way of obtaining metal with which to build habitats in space. Asteroids are plentiful, they contain all the elements needed for breathing and drinking and making fuel. They have very little gravity, and therefore would require a different technique of mining than on Earth. Depending upon the size of the asteroid, it may first need to be stopped from spinning. Next, space miners would use various methods to get the ore from the asteroid. Ore can be scraped off the surface, called strip mining on Earth. Explosives can be used to carve off chunks of ore, or the asteroid can be mined by tunneling into it. Each of these methods yields ore which can then be processed into basic elements. Once the ore has been crushed and the magnetic materials separated out, the nonmagnetic materials will be sent to equipment where it will be melted and desired materials "cooked" out. What is the equipment called which would melt the ore? * Smelter * Solar oven * Kiln * Ore processor 4. The Solar oven can be comprised of very lightweight materials. Because of the zero gravity and windless environment of space, the mirrors which capture the suns rays and are used to heat the oven can be made of aluminum foil. The tanks of the oven can be arranged so that the different elements separate out according to temperature. Water can be captured in one tank, then carbon dioxide and other gases in separate tanks down the line. Go to Audubon's Wildlife Adventure game lobby and say "A solar oven could melt rock!" 5. So what about the moon makes scientists believe that people can survive there? In the proposed location of Shackleton crater located at the south pole of the moon, the temperatures are moderate, the sunshine is nearly perpetual, the landing areas are flat and it appears to be an ideal location for a homestead on the surface of the moon. Any outpost there will be required to manufacture most of its own supplies and materials. Miners will operate equipment to extract oxygen from the ice crystals which have been deposited over time by asteroids or comets. By strip-mining the regolith (the dust on the surface), nitrogen for growing food and calcium for making cement for concrete can be obtained. Also, silicon can be obtained to make ceramics and glass. Moon-made glass would be structurally better than any glass made on Earth because it is hydrogen free. The soil also contains titanium, aluminum and iron. What is the soil of the moon called? * Lunaturf * Mooncrete * Moon stuff * Regolith 6. A moon base would most likely have a transmission area and be shielded from the radio noise from Earth. It is planned to have optical and radio telescopes which will be utilized to search for planets similar to Earth. The living areas will be situated high on the rim of the crater so that the solar cell arrays capture sunlight constantly. To protect against potentially fatal solar flares and to help equalize the pressure on the walls, the moon's regolith can be used to bury structures. The lunar landing pad would be located further down in the crater to minimize the amount of dust that is kicked up during any landings or takeoffs. Go to Balta Street in Victorian and say "Moon glass is better." 7. Future colonists on The Red Planet won't be able to count on a rescue mission from Earth if things go awry, so getting the bugs worked out with a lunar base is the most conservative plan. Once a space habitat has been successfully working on the moon, Mars will likely be the next step. Getting to Mars is a 5 month trip and once we get there, despite the information sent back by the rovers and probes, we really don't fully understand the environment. The astronauts will need to land in a safe location which is one that exposes them to the least possible risk, and is a good place to begin exploring. Even though Mars has a thin atmosphere, it still blocks most of the radiation from space. This means that a solar flare won't be as much of a concern as on the Moon. How long will it take for a message to be received from Earth to Mars? * One Earth day * 2.15 hours * 3 days * 44 minutes 8. The first manned missions to Mars will likely be preceded by a number of unmanned missions carrying extra supplies for the astronauts. A colony on Mars will initially be built up over a series of missions, with each mission adding more infrastructure to Mars until there is enough for a permanent colony to be established. One of the proposed means of producing energy on Mars is using fusion reactions. An important part of the process is deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. This heavy element is five times more abundant on Mars. Another plus is the proximity of the asteroid belt, with its wealth of essential supplies of metal ore, oxygen and hydrogen, again, all the building blocks for sustaining life. One of the main problems that is anticipated is that of obtaining extra parts. Until a working colony is established which can manufacture needed parts and supplies, they can only guess what will be needed. Go to the first English countryside area off of Stonehenge and say "Living on Mars would be exciting!" 9. There are many arguments in favor of orbital space colonies of the Earth, Moon and even other planets as being superior to colonies on a planet surface. When most people think of space colonies, they imagine bases on the planet surfaces, however, a base orbiting a planet could make more sense. Consider that an orbital space habitat could have artificial gravity produced by a rotating wheel, and the gravity needed for optimum health of its residents could be controlled. In addition, an orbital space station has access to the rays of the sun 24 hours a day with no nights. Any problems with growing crops which would be brought about by lack of sunlight could be avoided by controlling optimal periods of sunlight through opening and closing shades. How is gravity generated using the rotation concept? * Magnetism * Centrifugal force * Electrical fields * Natural gravity through a mass 10. Another point in favor of orbital space stations is that manufacturing and less civilized activities such as waste processing and factories can be kept separate from living quarters. The living areas can be very beautiful and the industrial areas can be more efficient and effective. Factories can be located on asteroids or the planet surface and can have greater freedom to go about their functions without worrying about affecting the quality of life in the living areas. Go to outside the Mercantile in Western Age and say "On a space station, you could fly!" Answers 1. Biosphere 2. Go to Stonehenge and say "These stones make great building blocks." 3. Solar oven 4. Go to Audubon's Wildlife Adventure Game Lobby and say "A solar oven could melt rock!" 5. Regolith 6. Go to Corner of Balta St. in Victorian and say "Moon glass is better." 7. 44 minutes 8. Go to English Countryside - I and say "Living on Mars would be exciting!" 9. Centrifugal force 10. Go to Outside Mercantile in Western Age and say "On a space station, you could fly!" Category:Quests Category:Epic Quests